Patna, May 15: An eight-year-old boy floored chief minister Nitish Kumar with his oratorical skills, forcing the latter to garland him.

The occasion was a conference for people of the Chourasia caste, generally into betel trade, at the S K Memorial Hall here. Before Nitish's arrival, the boy, Kumar Raj Chourasia, was seen roaming around with a placard requesting participants and the chief minister to allow him to speak. As soon as Nitish entered the hall, the boy rushed towards the dais with the placard, before security personnel stopped him.

But the boy did not lose heart. He kept raising the placard along with a garland he wanted to offer to the chief minister. The boy did not move an inch as leader after leader delivered his or her speech.

Around half-an-hour later, Nitish noticed the boy and asked the organisers to allow him to speak. The boy, son of betel shop owner Shailendra Kumar Chourasia of Ara, climbed onto the stage and garlanded Nitish. He was then given a cordless microphone.

Microphone in hand, the Class III student from Bhojpur district spoke extempore.

"I thank the chief minister for including people of our caste under extremely backward classes (EBCs), but I stand here to demand a system which does not require such doles," the little speaker said, adding: "Why can't we have a system which doesn't require such doles? The root cause of inequality is the different type of education offered to children. While children of poor people study in government schools, those from affluent homes go to private schools where standards are far better."

The organisers butted in to ask the boy to make his speech short, but Nitish said: "Let the boy speak."

The boy said: "If I become Prime Minister, I'll close all private schools and there would be only one system of education for all. Let me ask you people of Chourasia caste, do you think that by getting quota, the future of your children would be bright? No, it is not so. Why cannot we grow without reservation?"

A hush fell as everybody, including Nitish, listened to the boy attentively. The student of Desh Ratna Dr Rajendra Prasad Bal Vikas Vidyalay in Ara (Bhojpur) spoke for 10 minutes, laying emphasis on the education system in Bihar.

A huge round of applause followed. Nitish called him over and placed the betel garland the organisers had given him on the boy's neck.

Asked how the boy knows so many things, his father said: "He takes interest on his own and sits with me when I read the newspaper. When I heard Nitish would attend this programme, I brought him along, as he wanted to attend it."

Nitish praised the boy, saying: "I am impressed and bless this boy for a bright future. He said he wants to become Prime Minister. It is possible. If a chaiwala (referring to Narendra Modi) can become PM, why can't a paanwala (betel trader)? You must think big. "

The chief minister, however, slammed the chaiwala Prime Minister, saying "achchhe din (good days)" of citizens never came in his governance of one year.

Nitish promised to do something for the boy. His personal secretary, Naushad Ahmad, noted down the boy's name and address.